Messages is controlled from one place on your Branch, with two extra options on each individual Job. This article covers both. For an overview of the feature itself, read here.

Go to System > Settings > Communication Settings > Messages. The settings open in a panel on the right, and you need the 'Edit Branch Settings' permission to open it.

The Messages settings.

The global setting is disabled until you enable it. With it on, your users can message each other inside TutorCruncher and the Messages menu item appears for Administrators, Tutors, Clients and Students.

Turning it off again hides Messages from everybody and stops all Messages emails, but deletes nothing. Enabling it again restores every chat exactly as it was, and nobody is sent a backlog of catch-up emails for the period it was off.

This gives every Job created from now on its own chat. Turn it off if you would rather choose Job by Job, using the Enable messages on this job setting described below.

This only sets the default for Jobs created after you change it. It does not switch chats on or off for Jobs you already have - use the Enable Messages on existing active Jobs button for that.

Off by default. With it off, a Job's chat holds the Tutors on the Job and the paying Clients, and Students are left out. With it on, the Students on the Job are included too.
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Like the setting above, this is only the default for new Jobs. Each Job carries its own Add students to this Job's conversation setting that overrides it.

On by default. A message containing a link to an outside website is rejected before it is sent, and the sender is told why so they can edit it and try again. Links to TutorCruncher and to your own custom domain are always allowed.

On by default. A message containing inappropriate language is rejected in the same way. Nothing is saved, so a blocked message never reaches the other people in the chat.

Turning Messages enabled on does not create chats for your existing Jobs. Once Messages is enabled and saved, the settings panel carries an Existing Jobs section at the bottom holding an Enable Messages on existing active Jobs button.

If you ticked both Messages enabled and Enable Messages on new Jobs on that first save, the panel reopens on its own to show you that section. Otherwise, reopen System > Settings > Communication Settings > Messages yourself and it will be there.

Selecting it, and confirming, switches Messages on for every Job that is not Finished or Gone Cold, and creates a chat for each of those Jobs that has a Tutor or a Student on it. Finished and Gone Cold Jobs are left alone. The work runs in the background, so the chats appear at Communications > Messages shortly afterwards rather than instantly.

The backfill button, which only appears once Messages is enabled.

Each Job has two Messages settings of its own. Go to Activity > Jobs > select the Job > Actions > Edit and look in the More Settings section:

Both only appear when Messages enabled is on for the Branch. Read more about editing Jobs here.

The two Messages settings on a Job.

Messages sends two emails, both editable at System > Settings > Communication Settings > Email Definitions:

You can change the subject and body of either one in the same way as any other email. Read more about Email Definitions here.
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Both emails carry an Unsubscribe link in their footer. It turns off the emails for that one chat only, exactly as unticking Email me about new messages in the chat's Details panel does, and never affects anyone else.

Either you do not have the 'Edit Branch Settings' permission, or Messages has not been made available for your company yet. Contact our support team and we will enable it.

Check Enable Messages on new Jobs at System > Settings > Communication Settings > Messages. That box is always shown unticked while Messages itself is off, so it is easy to save with only Messages enabled ticked and leave it switched off. Tick it and save again, and Jobs created from then on will get a chat.

Nothing harmful. A Job that already has a chat is left as it is - the button never creates a second chat for the same Job.

No. Chats are never deleted. Turning Enable messages on this job off at Activity > Jobs > select the Job > Actions > Edit stops the chat's participant list being kept in step with the Job. Turning it back on brings the list back into step.

Not a Branch-wide one, but any Administrator with the 'Edit Operations' permission can lock or archive a single chat from the Status dropdown in its Details panel, at Communications > Messages > select the chat. An archived chat moves to the Archived tab, cannot be posted in, and stops sending unread-message emails.

Not at the moment. Only Administrators can start a chat. Everyone else takes part in Job chats and in any chat an Administrator adds them to.